April 7, 2011 - Obama Hits Losing Trifecta In Florida, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Increased Support For Offshore Drilling Word format
President Barack Obama hits a losing trifecta with Florida voters: They disapprove 52 - 44 percent of the job he is doing; they prefer an unnamed Republican challenger by a too-close-to- call 41 - 38 percent in the 2012 presidential election and say 51 - 42 percent that the president does not deserve a second term, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Today's numbers compare to results of a February 3 survey by the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University, when the President was almost dead even in the trifecta:
•47 percent job approval, with 49 percent disapproving;
•40 percent for Obama, compared to 42 percent for an unnamed GOP challenger;
•45 percent saying four more years compared to 48 percent saying no.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, who like Obama is on the 2012 ballot, is in better shape, with a 47 - 26 percent approval rating, a 43 - 39 percent lead over an unidentified Republican and voters saying 43 - 35 percent that he deserves another term in the Senate.
Florida voters support 51 - 44 percent a proposal before the Legislature that would require a woman seeking an abortion to first undergo an ultrasound procedure and be offered a chance to view the results. Women support the measure 53 - 43 percent, while men support it 48 - 46 percent.
"With President Barack Obama formally announcing his re-election campaign this week, one can expect that his team will be focusing on Florida, one of the nation's preeminent swing states and one that the president carried in 2008," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "He has some work to do in the Sunshine State. On job approval, re-election and the matchup against an unnamed republican he does a good deal better among women than he does among men."
"Despite questions about his policies, the president is personally popular with Floridians," said Brown. Given four choices to describe their feelings about Obama:
•40 percent like him personally and like his policies;
•30 percent like him personally but not his policies;
•1 percent like his policies but not him;
•24 percent don't like him or his policies.
Taken together, 70 percent of voters like Obama, but only 41 percent like his policies.
By comparison, when voters are asked the same questions about Gov. Rick Scott, whose overall 48 - 35 percent disapproval rating makes him less popular than Obama, only 40 percent like him personally, while 34 percent like his policies.
Although by 65 - 30 percent, Florida voters back the U.S. Supreme Court decision establishing a woman's right to have an abortion, their support for requiring an ultrasound reflects strong Republican support and more modest opposition from Democrats and independents. Republicans approve of the ultrasound requirement 68 - 28 percent, while opposition is 54 - 41 percent among Democrats and 52 - 43 percent among independent voters.
On energy matters, voters support 60 - 35 percent increasing the amount of offshore drilling for oil and natural gas, with Republicans and independent voters behind the idea 82 - 16 percent and 58 - 38 percent respectively. Democrats are opposed 52 - 43 percent.
The public attitudes on building new nuclear plants in the state reflect the "Not In My Backyard" view. Voters split 48 - 47 percent on support for new nuclear plants in Florida, but they oppose 58 - 39 percent building nuclear plants in their city or town.
Support for the war in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate, as Florida voters say 59 - 36 percent the United States should not be involved in the war there.
Voters are divided 46 - 46 percent on whether they approve of the president's handling of the situation in Libya.
Support for Congress repealing the "health care law" that passed last year is 49 - 41 percent, and 54 - 40 percent when the question is phrased "health care reform law."
From March 29 - April 4, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,499 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones.
The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio and the nation as a public service and for research.
For more data or RSS feed-
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.xml, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter.
